1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an alarm device for use with fall protection equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With regard to one possible application of the present invention, motorized tugger lines (winch lines on hoists commonly referred to as tuggers) are commonly used in the petroleum drilling industry to raise and/or lower equipment and/or workers up to and down from a derrick. A derrick is a framework over a drill hole (as of an oil well) for supporting boring tackle and/or for hoisting and lowering equipment and/or workers. Commonly, a worker will sit on a boatswain chair connected to the tugger line.
A risk of using motorized tugger lines is the possibility of workers getting caught on obstructions such as the oil derrick structure or other structures as the workers are being raised and/or lowered by the tugger lines. If a worker gets caught on an obstruction, the tugger continues to pull the tugger line thereby continuing to pull the worker, which could result in serious injury or death. “Man-rated” tuggers are available and typically include a clutch mechanism that limits the load of the tuggers to reduce the risk of injury to the workers. Once a predetermined load on the tugger line is reached, the “man-rated” tugger stops pulling the tugger line. However, even with “man-rated” tuggers having such a built-in safety precaution, the “man-rated” tuggers may actually provide a false sense of security and may still have risks of serious injury or death should workers get caught on obstructions. Typical “man-rated” tuggers lift from approximately 1,000 to 40,000 pounds, which is questionable for safety purposes.
With regard to another possible application of the present invention, shock absorbing devices are commonly used with fall protection equipment to reduce the force of a fall on workers. Should a worker fall, the worker may need to be rescued, especially if the worker has been injured during the fall. In some instances, it is critical to rescue a worker within a relatively short period of time. One example is to prevent the onset of orthostatic intolerance when unconscious and/or immobile workers are suspended in their harnesses unable to move their legs. Therefore, timely rescue may be critical.